Counting Sheep
by Shad Croly
Summary: When the world of Dissidia falls too quiet, the Warriors of Cosmos set out to find out just what the Warriors of Chaos are up to.
1. Warrior of Light

The Chaos Shrine of the Past was unnervingly quiet. The black clouds swirled as they always did, but besides them, there was nothing else. No sounds of a battle being fought or of villains scheming as they always seemed to be doing. There was no sign of any traps and he didn't sense any danger in the area; such was even more odd then the current silence. Still, the Warrior of Light kept his eyes alert as he scouted around the roof.

The arena was the favored battleground of his nemesis, Garland, so surely the power attacker was around here somewhere, not that the Warrior of Light was looking to pick a fight with him. Usually it was Garland that sought him out for a battle, but now there was nothing.

He neared one of the holes in the ceiling of the shrine; the light from its unknown source in such a dismal place shone enough to let him see where he was going to land. There were a few fragments of a fallen pillar at the bottom, nothing too surprising, since Garland's combat style was all about smashing things to pieces with that sword of his.

The Warrior of Light jumped down, landing with a series of clanks as his plate armor came in contact with the ground. He let his eyes adjust to the darkness, the roof blocking the light and making it hard to see. Thankfully, the few existing holes in the ceiling made seeing things a little easier. He jumped off the ledge where he'd landed, finding himself at the ramp leading to the throne of the Chaos Shrine of the Past.

He was a little thankful he hadn't summoned his weapons when he first arrived. Had he, he probably would have dropped them at what he saw. Garland sat in the throne of the shrine, his massive weapon propped up against the wall as he sat there, nearly motionless. His armor showed no wear or tear, ruling out his death at the hands of one of the other Warriors of Cosmos. Instead, the massive warrior's chest lightly rose and fell beneath his armor, the sounds of heavy breathing echoing underneath the gaudy helmet.

Garland was asleep.

The Warrior of Light dared a few steps forward, the situation in front of him too outrageous; he was at a loss for words or actions. It hadn't really occurred to him that Garland slept at all. Something in his head always made him assume that the once knight of Corneria was always up and about, scheming and plotting to further plunge the world into his little cycles with the rest of the Warriors of Chaos.

However, his own eyes were not deceiving him, as there he sat. Garland's head lay on his sounder, small mutters escaping him as he sat and snored, probably catching up on a few day's much needed rest of evil-doing.

Something in the Warrior of Light's mind told him to leave Garland be, to let him rest and regain his strength. Another something told him that, with Garland's defenses down, it was an opportune time to reduce Chaos' forces by one and shift power back into the hands of Cosmos.

The Warrior of Light sighed softly, placing a hand to his head as he shrugged his shoulders. The latter did have a point…


	2. Firion

Firion was quietly musing to himself as he walked along. It had been over an hour and the Warrior of Light had yet to come back from his scouting shift; the reactions of the rest of the group where a little mixed. Some worried as to if he was alright, the others said that he was strong enough to handle himself. Firion had to admit to the latter, the Warrior of Light had always seemed to be on a much different level then the rest of them; then again, that was just a feeling he had.

Given that it was his scouting shift next, he'd told all those worried that he'd take a look around to see if he could find their missing leader. His words were true, but scouting to find the Warrior of Light had to come as a second priority. Making sure that the wreckage of an airship they called Home was not discovered by the Warriors of Chaos was the first.

He worked his way down the list of areas that the ten of them where able to find their way around with no sign of the Warrior of Light. It was about the time that he'd finished scouting out the Valley of the Moon that he'd started to feel off, not exactly sure why or how. His hand idly twirled the wild rose he always carried with him, eyes more and more shifting about as he moved about.

It was during his trip through the World of Darkness that the answer dawned on him. Each area he visited was deathly quiet, no sounds other then the occasional winds or whatever happened naturally. There weren't any traps or any ambush attempts at him thus far, it was just so empty. He was used to the, dementedly, comforting feeling that the Warriors of Chaos were off in some nook getting ready to attack; the peace he felt was rather horrifying.

He kept his head about him as best he could in the uncomfortable silence, keeping himself in check as his imagination tried to convince him that it was the silence that had swallowed the Warrior of Light not too long ago.

He had to get out of the silence, at least just getting his thoughts in order again and there seemed no better place then Pandemonium. The Emperor was usually hanging around there, plotting the downfall of the Warriors of Cosmos, or shouting that odd "Uboar" phrase whenever someone was making him upset. Given what little intelligence they had on the dealings within the ranks of the Warriors of Chaos, Kuja was doing so in spades.

He let out a soft sigh, rounding a corner in the purple halls, keeping his eyes open for The Emperor's traps. The Weapon Master was hoping something happened, though as he rounded another corner, he almost wished he hadn't.

Emperor Mateus had a thing for, after beating an opponent, floating in the air like he was sitting in a throne. However, to float in a way that looked like he was sprawled over said throne wasn't a very easy image to stop looking at; if just for how disturbing and fairly silly the Emperor looked.

The man's hair was undone from all its braids and such, staff hanging idly nearby as the Emperor slept, mouth open with the occasional whisper of "Uboar". If Firion didn't miss his guess, Kuja was busy tormenting the Trap Maker in his dreams; as if in the waking world wasn't enough.

For some reason, Zidane's appearance flickered in his mind as a hand reached for one of the daggers sheathed in his boots. It came again, this time as a memory of one of their conversations back when he'd first met the young man.

Zidane was a performer back in his home world. He was always chattering on and on about performing and entertaining an audience; even his speech had adopted a few theater terms, truly identifying his love of the limelight. That one memory was of a conversation the two were having about a play, one that his troupe was working on before being called by Cosmos to help fight Chaos. Firion took a few steps closer to the Emperor, the dagger held gracefully in one hand. He let out a soft chuckle, quiet and under his breath.

"MacBeth would be proud."


	3. Onion Knight

Everyone had been in a fuss when Firion had gotten back Home. Everyone had gotten into a bigger fuss when Firion hadn't returned with Warrior of Light. Such began Cecil, Cloud, and Squall's attempt to reassure Bartz, Zidane, and Tidas that their leader was going to be alright, wherever he may be.

Tina, on the other hand, was more concerned with Firion. The Weapon Master usually had a strong composure and a soft light in his eyes, things that seemed to represent the dream he always carried with him. Tina could see them, but there was something off about them.

The Onion Knight gave a soft groan as he walked, not even sure how to word his own thoughts. Then again, such were thoughts that were impossible to express with words, so he gave up trying. Instead, he focused himself on why he was out in the first place.

Tina had missed it, but he hadn't. She was busy trying to figure out what was going on in his head; it seemed like only the petit Warrior of Cosmos had seen what was going on in his hand. Firion's hand held one of his daggers and in a grip that would probably make the Emperor jealous. The blade had a soft sheen to it, able to bounce off light in a way metal could only do when wet.

While six of them were off fighting amongst themselves as to if Warrior of Light would be returning to them in good form or not and Tina was busy making sure Firion was alright, Onion Knight had decided to do a little investigating. It being his turn to scout around was a good enough reason for the six fighting to not mind if he left.

The Onion Knight had snagged the check list, giving it a look. While small and still a bit naïve, he wasn't stupid. Firion hadn't made a check mark by Pandemonium's spot on the list, meaning something happened there that kept him from scouting the area and moving on to the Chaos Shrine of the Past. Given that the Weapon Master had already searched through the other eight areas, the Onion Knight was happy to take advantage of his speed, powering through most of the areas on the list.

The World of Darkness was a decent enough place to slow himself down. Pandemonium was next on the list and he needed to make sure that he had energy enough to face whatever happened to be lurking there and the Chaos Shrine of the Past.

The youngest Warrior of Cosmos nearly tripped over himself as he felt his ear being tugged to the side. His eyes turned, realizing that it was his shoulder Sage; the tiny magic user had pulled him off of his course, forcefully pointing towards a pillared area. He looked at Sage, pointing in the direction of the pillars. Onion Knight made his way in that direction as Sage had given him a quick nod. Onion Knight rounded the pillar and it took Sage and Ninja to keep his mouth shut, lest the boy gasp too loud.

The Cloud of Darkness hung in the air; its eyes were empty, arms and tentacles limp at its side. In a way it looked a bit like a marionette that wasn't in use.

The Onion Knight looked back to the list that Firion had been using, then to the Cloud of Darkness, and then back to the list. Pandemonium was the last place that Firion had checked. The purple crystal halls were also the favored battleground of the Emperor. Firion's dagger looked like it'd been wet. If Firion had found the Emperor in the same condition that the Cloud of Darkness was…

He turned to Sage, hoping to get some guidance from his magical half. Instead, the Onion Knight was greeted to the sight of the Sage giddy and chanting the word "burn". He frowned a bit, turning to Ninja, hoping his physical half would help him out. He let out another sigh as he should have expected Ninja to be just as giddy as Sage, but chanting the word "stab".

He gave the Cloud of Darkness one last look as he held up both hands to Sage and Ninja. Both stopped their chanting from their place on his shoulders as his hands folded into fists. If there was ever a way to solve anything between the three of them, it was a game of Ro-Sham-Bo.

After all, he always won.


	4. Cecil Harvey

Cecil had given up trying to reassure three of the Warriors of Cosmos that the Warrior of Light was going to be just fine. There was only so much of panicked arguing that one person could handle, and he'd reached his limit rather quickly.

Firion had still kept himself to his room the entire time he'd left, obviously not wanting to be bothered while he dealt with whatever had happened during his scouting tour. Tina was busy trying to make sure the Weapon Master was going to be alright, empathetic enough not to ask about what had happened; it was a bit of a wonder how such a gentle soul could ever have been considered a warrior at all, though his thoughts digressed.

Obviously, Tidus, Bartz, and Zidane had still been slightly panic-stricken as they wondered where the Warrior of Light was, what had happened to Firion while he was out, and worried about the state of the Onion Knight. The youngest Warrior of Cosmos had, apparently, left for his own scouting tour during the fuss. Lastly, Cloud and Squall were stoic as ever; they were able to handle the three panicking ones on their own. All in all, it was the perfect opportunity to sneak away for some much needed quiet time.

His desires for some thinking time lead him to the Valley of the Moon.

Like a couple of the different realms in… whatever world they'd all been taken to, the Valley of the Moon was fairly breathtaking when you weren't fighting. The landscape itself wasn't a whole lot too much look at. It looked just like any old canyon area that was probably in every one of the warriors' home worlds, except for maybe the bluish-black dirt and rocks that composed the ground beneath their feet.

The biggest thing, and the main thing that Cecil just loved to stop and look at for hours on end, was the Earth. It was fairly hard to miss, hanging in the sky like a bright, blue jewel. He'd been sitting on a stone pillar for a few hours, letting his body and mind relax in the silence.

Cecil lightly snapped from his time of daydreaming at the sudden realization. Ever since he'd arrived, there hadn't been a single sound made, other than the gentle winds of the valley and the sounds of his own creation. After being along for so long, it seemed only right that at least Golbeza would have appeared, even for a moment or two; after all, the Valley of the Moon was his preferred battleground.

Cecil picked himself up, giving himself a fairly decent eye view of the surrounding valley. If he had to make a guess as to where his older brother would be, if not busying himself with his own schemes, it was the crashed Airship.

Not many people noticed it, but if one looked hard enough, they could see an Airship resting on the ground about a mile away. Cecil lightly smiled to himself as a memory surfaced; he'd explored the Airship at one time, looking though the damaged structure to see if there was anything worth salvaging. In his exploration, he'd found that one of the rooms had been redecorated by his brother, obviously as the name Golbeza was carved into the wood of the door.

The Warrior of Cosmos couldn't help but be surprised as the room was littered with cushions and blankets, transforming the room from whatever it once was into a very large and comfortable looking bedroom.

If Golbeza was anywhere that he knew of, it was probably there.

Cecil was thankful for the ability of flight from his Paladin side; it made closing the distance between himself and the Airship hardly a bother.

He'd explored the Airship a few more times since his first visit, knowing each corridor and room fairly well. Once he'd landed on the deck, it was hardly a few more minutes before Cecil found himself staring at the door that lead to his brother's makeshift bedroom.

He opened the door, intent in letting himself in. The hand holding his staff loosened, dropping the weapon to the ground as his armor suddenly shifted to the encasing armor of a Dark Knight. The door to the bedroom slammed shut without a second thought, his back pressed against it, heart racing.

Golbeza was inside there, alright. He was also without his signature armor on. In the end, however, the only thing that seemed to cross Cecil's mind, was how something so big could fit into said armor.


	5. Bartz Klauser

All of home fell into a chilling silence when the Onion Knight returned from his own scouting trip, though it wasn't a silence from any kind of sadness or fear. Seeing the smallest of the Warriors of Cosmos return from his scouting tour early, even for the Onion Knight given his speed, covered head to toe in soot, light gashes along the plates of his armor, and the biggest smile on his face that any of them had ever seen him give left everyone, plainly and simply, speechless.

And then the Onion Knight retold the tale of his trip through the different realms. The young warrior went on and on with his overly excited and adrenaline-fueled storytelling, everything started to fall into place, for the most part. Firion had returned somewhat shaken, understandable as he was a rebel who'd vanquished a powerful ruler in a way that was frighteningly simple. The Onion Knight's state upon his return made it pretty easy to tell just how the boy had dispatched his foe, given his expertise in both magic and swordplay.

It failed to detail, though, what had become of the Warrior of Light and Cecil. Those remaining didn't have a whole lot to worry about over the ever shifting knight; Cecil still cared about his brother, despite the fact that Golbez was on the side of Chaos, and sometimes even talked about finding a way of bringing his brother over to the Light. Cecil had a caring heart and that let the other Warriors of Cosmos comforted by the idea that Cecil would never harm his brother in such a state.

The Warrior of Light was a somewhat different story. He had no positive feelings for Garland, and if the power attacker had been found in the same state as the others so far, what was taking the Warrior of Light so long? Given what the Onion Knight had retold and the state of his armor, it didn't seem likely that Garland would have been awakened to establish a counter attack.

At the moment, though, the remaining six Warriors of Cosmos had come to a silent agreement about the situation. Onion Knight needed to get himself cleaned up, while the rest of them immediately set out to the preferred battlefields of their respective enemies.

No one had checked the Chaos Shrine of the Past, and the Warrior of Light was still missing. Pandemonium was the last place Firion had checked and was where he encountered the Emperor. The World of Darkness was the last place the Onion Knight had checked and was where he encountered the Cloud of Darkness. Cecil had left for the Valley of the Moon. It seemed like a pretty solid conclusion.

Bartz opened his eyes, his moment of reminiscing over. He'd been sitting with his back against one of the stone walls at the Dimensional Castle, his heart no longer racing as it had been a few moments earlier.

It was something he didn't speak of to the other Warriors of Cosmos, but unlike some of the others, Bartz hated fighting at the Dimensional Castle. Of all the places to fight, it was the one that brought out his fear of heights the most; as a castle suspended above an endless sky, how could it not?

The utility player had tripped over something in the grass, making him fall dangerously close to the edge, enough to trigger his phobia and send him into a small panic. It was after the reminiscing that he felt back to normal, pulling himself to his feet, and heading off to go find Exdeath with a mimicked Buster Sword resting on his shoulder. He had a tree to fell, after all, and there was no better substitute.


End file.
